Lyric Poem · Nature
I have a Bird in spring
1I have a Bird in spring
2Which for myself doth sing —
3The spring decoys.
4And as the summer nears —
5And as the Rose appears,
6Robin is gone.
7Yet do I not repine
8Knowing that Bird of mine
9Though flown —
10Learneth beyond the sea
11Melody new for me
12And will return.
13Fast is a safer hand
14Held in a truer Land
15Are mine —
16And though they now depart,
17Tell I my doubting heart
18They're thine.
Full-text availability follows the United States display decision recorded below; status can differ elsewhere.
“I have a Bird in spring” by Emily Dickinson — quilloak.com/poems/i-have-a-bird-in-spring
Quick facts
- Poem
- I have a Bird in spring
- Poet
- Emily Dickinson
- Length
- 30 lines
- Form
- Lyric Poem
- Themes
- Nature, Spring, Summer
Craft notes
How this poem works
Measured from the text on this page, not copied from a summary. Counts are approximate: syllables and rhymes come from the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary, which models General American English, so dialect, older pronunciation, and performance can all change what you hear.
- Shape
- 30 lines · 5 sestets
- Line length
- Mostly 6-syllable lines (trimeter length).
- Refrain
- “Knowing that Bird of mine”Repeated lines act as the poem's hinge or drumbeat.
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Text, source & rights
A traceable edition
Full-text display is based on the committed source record and a United States term-expiry review.
- Author record
- Emily Dickinson1830–1886
- Source record
- PoetryDBI have a Bird in spring by emily-dickinson, PoetryDB transcription
- Display decision
- Full text · United States · reviewed 2026-07-18
- Publication record
- Not recorded in the imported source
- Text fingerprint
- SHA-256 5e83cee2d2d1f50c…
- Editorial handling
- Whitespace and stanza breaks normalized for web display; no material wording change recorded.